5 Steps to Removing PC Clutter

It's hard enough as it is these days to get organized and then remain that way for weeks and months down the road. We are all very busy people, some of us with 9-5 jobs and one hour commutes, and others of us busy making our lives at home work for us, with children at tow and a variety of chores to do as well as errands to run.

However, no matter how vastly different our lives may be, we all run into the same problems when dealing with organization, and that's: KEEPING organized. need to develop a system that helps your PC remain free of clutter and organized. Granted, this task doesn't come easy at first, but all it takes is a few extra steps each day, done consistently, that will maximize your results in the long run.

So, let's say you have disorganized files all over your hard drive that you have difficulty finding when you need them. Your PC keeps catching viruses out of the blue. You don't know what to do with all your spam mail. You have extra programs and freeware on your PC that you don't know anything about, and even if you did, wouldn't know what to do with them. Here are a few steps to help you get started in the right direction:

1.) Get rid of any unnecessary files or programs that are on your hard drive. This requires a little homework on your part. You'll need to set aside the time to sit down and actually take a look at all of the files on your PC and delete what you don't need. A few things to do periodically for optimal performance is to run a disk cleanup, use your system file checker, and defragment your hard drive.

2.) Organize all of your files and folders. Once you've deleted everything you don't need, take a look at what's left. Is there some way you could organize these in nice categorical folders, so that it's easier to retrieve them later on? For example, you could create a few folders underneath your My Documents folder, and give then names such as: My Journal, My TV Shows, My Videos, My Business, My Songs, My JobFind, etc. You could then place all respective files underneath these neatly organized folders. You can also take advantage of many of the folders already supplied to you by Microsoft Windows, such as My Pictures and My Music.

3.) Install adware and spyware programs. I don't think I need to stress how important it is to run antivirus and spyware software. I personally like McAffee because of its wide range of protection services, but Norton AntiVirus works great as well.

4.) Delete unnecessary shareware and freeware files. It's very important to keep your hard drive as clean and organized as possible. Remember that shareware and freeware can potentially be harmful to your computer (viruses!), depending upon which source you received your shareware from.

5.) Delete unnecessary emails and take control of spam. By now, you know to have antivirus software installed on your PC. That's a must, and will protect you if you should happen to open emails that have viruses attached to them. Before you open any of your emails, check to be sure you know the sender, and that there are no .zip or .exe attachments. Be very careful about opening files with attachments, especially from senders you don't know.

Hope many of these tips will you help you move toward the right direction in de-cluttering your PC, now and for good.

Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of http://www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of http://www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.